So yesterday we spoke of our stomach acid becoming unbalanced and not being able to do its job of killing "bad" bacteria.
So let's back up for a moment and talk about how this acid becomes unbalanced in the first place.
Simply said . . . Chronic stress, smoking, alcohol, eating too quickly, poor diet and a "high" sugar intake, all decrease the production and intensity of stomach acid along with a deficiency in zinc and B vitamins.
Okay . . . so how do we balance our stomach acid to be in its healthy pH range of 1.5 to 3.5?
Well . . . one of my go-to remedies that I tell my clients is . . .
Drink 1 teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar with "mother" in a glass of warm water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach . . . everyday for about 2 weeks. We spoke of the benefits of ACV in a previous Health tip. So you may want to go back and re-read it.
You see . . . in order to get your pH acidity number back down where it's supposed to be between 1.5 to 3.5 . . . you have to give the stomach a little help. And that would be ACV.
The pH level of ACV is between 2 and 3 on the pH scale. And raw apple cider vinegar can increase stomach acid intensity to its acidic property. Which in turn, kills the "bad" bacteria and therefore . . . corrects the problems of acid reflux, indigestion, heartburn and upset stomach . . . . Why???
Because as I said yesterday . . . without the stomach acid at a perfect neutral of 1.5 to 3.5 . . . it "can't" kill the "bad" bacteria that colonizes in the stomach, the lower esophageal sphincter (that's the small band that stops stomach acid from going back up the esophagus) and esophagus tube, which in turn, cause illness, discomfort and disease.
Okay . . . so I'm sure you're now thinking . . . I don't like ACV . . . what about things like tomatoes . . . they're acidy??? Do they work also.
NOPE . . . and why you ask? . . . because tomatoes are only a 4.0 to 4.4 on the pH scale. And this is why some people get heartburn or acid reflux when eating them or eating tomato sauce. And then add in . . . the fact that tomato sauce is loaded with sugar, which makes the ph level even higher and more alkaline. We are now in trouble.
So . . . one element that I'm asked about all the time is . . . what about lemons?
Well . . . lemons kind of work the same way but have one issue.
The juice from a lemon in its "natural state" is acidic with a pH of about 2 . . . which is "good" . . .
But . . . when it metabolizes in the stomach . . . it actually becomes alkaline with a pH way above 7.
So if the stomach acid was in a normal neutral state of 1.5 to 3.5 . . . it could handle the change in the lemon's pH . . . but if you have stomach problems such as what we've been talking about . . . then this might backfire on you and give you more problems.
Tomorrow we'll talk about another element to the stomach.
As always, feel free to contact me here